It’s been a while since HazzardNet has had a fan of the month, but this month’s winner more than deserves the honor. Mark B. has been a member for a while, but has recently come back with a vengeance, filling us all in on his Dukes of Hazzard projects. He’s a model maker and an amazing one at that. Just take a look in our forums and you’ll see what I mean. Here’s a little about Mark in his own words:
I grew up with Dukes (I was 10 when the show premiered), but being a child of the 70s, was primarly a Star Wars and sci-fi guy. This has been the story ever since, but Dukes has always been a comfortable place to come back to. My Dukes fandom was rekindled a few years ago after years of visting Cooter’s Place in Gatlinburg and becoming more enamored of the ‘Deep South’ and its culture.
As an adult I couldn’t put my finger on what it was I like about the show until I ready Ben Jones’ book ‘Redneck Boy in the Promised Land’. It was pretty simple really: fun, family values, and fast cars. It may not have been Emmy-winning TV, but it was just good and didn’t need deeper analysis. I think my blood pressure actually comes down when I have the show on!
Model building (and related skills) is my profession as well as my hobby. Although I had a love of model cars in middle and high school, I’ve always chosen to build sci-fi subjects for myself. That was until I got the itch to build something ‘Dukes’. I had been inspired by the models of TJ Belthard at Cooter’s Place in Gatlinburg and had wanted to expand on his vision. The Hazzard Garage was the perfect subject for a model with a nice level of detail, weathering, and a logical setting for any of theDukes car models. The model project has of course led me down the road of owning all the DVDs and connecting with other fans through Hazzardnet and other internet forums.
Connecting with other fans on HN is a particular pleasure. Its a great community that really continues the warm feelings of home that DOH portrayed between the car chases. To borrow a phrase from Ben Jones’ book, its like ‘coming home to a place you’ve never been’.
Congrats, Mark, on being HazzardNet’s Fan of the Month! Join us in congratulating him on the forums!